22nd-May-2020

Share

Comments

Eid travellers are being allowed to travel in ‘private’ vehicles though the government has ordered the shutdown of public transport services asking citizens to celebrate the Eid-ul-Fitr in their respective areas amid the coronavirus crisis.They received a verbal directive from the ‘high-up’ on Thursday, a senior police official told bdnews24.com. Police have removed its checkpoint from Gabtali following the order, he said.“The government has agreed that people travel home to their villages to celebrate Eid. But the public transport service will remain closed. Police will ensure protection on the roads but everyone must travel in their own cars,” said Additional Inspector General of Police Mallik Fakhrul Islam.Allowing people to travel even in their private vehicles will increase the risk of spreading the virus further, said a member of the national technical advisory committee on the coronavirus.Most police personnel enforcing the lockdown on the ground said they are following the new directive as Eid-ul-Fitr moves closer.“We are letting people go to their village homes but not on public transports. Now you can guess how they’ll travel,” an additional deputy commissioner told bdnews24.com.People can travel in private vehicles but not in public transports like buses, Bhaluka Police OC Mainuddin reiterated.“One can’t travel in a rented car as only personally-owned cars will be allowed to ply the roads,” said Gazipur Police Superintendent Md Ali.In an attempt to prevent the novel coronavirus infection from spreading, the government imposed a lockdown on Mar 26, closing all offices and educational institutions while shutting down the public transport system.The lockdown has since been extended in phases, most recently until May 30. While the government rolled back some of the restrictions, allowing shops, malls, mosques and garment factories to reopen on a limited scale, it continues to enforce the suspension of public transport services.Stringent measures have been put in place to regulate movement during the Eid-ul-Fitr holiday in a bid to prevent a further spread of the novel coronavirus.The government has barred officials from leaving their work stations during the lockdown. Public transports on roads, water vessels, trains and domestic flights will remain grounded. Apart from vehicles used for the transportation of goods and emergency services, movement of all other transports on the highways will be strictly controlled, it said.However, vehicles transporting goods are not allowed to carry passengers, according to government orders.Police are also on high alert after check-posts at the entry and exit points to Dhaka were strengthened to restrict movement into and out of the capital without an emergency.Law enforcers will take ‘stern’ action to prevent people from travelling to their native villages during Eid holidays this year, said IGP Benazir Ahmed. “Many people are travelling to their ancestral homes during the Eid holidays. This cannot go on. People should follow the prime minister’s directive to ensure their welfare.”The decision to allow travel in private vehicles came just a couple of days before the Eid.It was prompted by a fatal crash in Gaibandha where 13 people died after a truck overturned on the highway on Wednesday, a Highway Police official told bdnews24.com.“Many people are travelling stealthily. This decision was taken to keep at least one travel option open to them.”Asked about the move, Virologist Nazrul Islam, also a member of the national technical advisory committee on the coronavirus, said: “I'm only learning about the decision from you now. If it's true, the decision to allow people to travel in private vehicles will help accelerate the spread of the virus across the country.”

AFP :President Jair Bolsonaro threatened Friday to pull Brazil from the WHO over "ideological bias," as his counterpart Donald Trump said the US economy was recovering from the coronavirus pandemic and Europe sought to reopen its borders.Adding fuel to the political fire raging around the pandemic, its origins and the ...

THE ongoing pandemic has divulged deficiency, corruption, mismanagement in the country's health sector and hit a hard slap in the tale of 'development surprise'. When public health experts asked for preparedness before the outbreak, some top ministers were in believe that Covid-19 would not infect in the country and assured ...

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is confident his side will hit the ground running when the Premier League resumes later his month.The English top-flight will be back in action in two weeks after several months of coronavirus-enforced inactivity. United are set to resume the season away to Tottenham Hotspur ...

THE Indian government's latest position to secure a lasting water sharing agreement on Feni River sidetracking commitment for signing a simultaneous agreement on Teesta River as reported by an English daily on Friday is clearly an unexpected and unwelcomed move. Without Teesta we can't go for Feni River. Teesta water ...

Sheikh Arif Bulbon :Priyanka Biswas is a talented singer of this generation who won hearts of many music-lovers by her melodious voice. The music-lovers were impressed to hear her songs. Few days ago, Priyanka-Apu Aman rendered a duet song titled Jabena Chhere was released on YouTube channel of Dhruba Music ...

Economic Reporter :Dhaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DCCI), the largest SME representative trade organization in the country, launched 'SME Development Department' to facilitate its Cottage, Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (CMSMEs).Officials of the DCCI said they have relentlessly been working for the development of cottage, micro, small and medium ...

A recent study revealed that the closure of educational institutions due to the coronavirus pandemic, dropout rates will increase significantly at schools which will subsequently cause a rise in child marriage, early pregnancy and child labour. Educationists demanded more budgetary allocation for education sector as part of two/three-year-long Covid-19 response ...

Cricket chief Anil Kumble hopes a ban on using saliva to shine the ball after the coronavirus shutdown could see a resurgence of spin bowling in Test cricket.The International Cricket Council is expected to order a temporary ban next week on using spit as a shining agent, as part of ...

Entertainment Report :At the end of last year, internationally renowned singer Runa Laila’s two songs were released in two separate YouTube channels. She lent her vocal for a song while noted Indian singer Asha Bhosle rendered another song. In last year November, Runa Laila composed her second song titled Ferate ...

Nora Fatehi joins Vidya Balan in urging people to donate PPE kits to help our medical fraternity in this tough time. Recently we all have seen Vidya Balan making a donation and requesting citizens to donate PPE kits for our nation's heroes. Now Nora Fatehi makes her sincere appeals to ...